Session of January 13th, 2022

January 13, 2022

Minutes Recorded by: Bethany, Secretary

Visitors: Dr. Steve Conn

Call to Order at 11:04 AM

Senator prays

Roll Called

Minutes Approved at 11:07 AM

Officer Reports

PPT Moyes: Good morning, good to see you all. Just a couple notes – attendance is important, and you only have three unexcused absences. It’s in the constitution and we want to make sure you’re representing the floors you’ve been elected on. Please contact me if you have an excused absence so it’s marked. If I don’t know, I’ll talk to your RA. Next, committees. I’ll be getting a meeting form out and secondly, I know schedules change every semester so good job talking on the discord. Let me know or the chair of your committee if a meeting time won’t work. Finally, we represent our floors and if we really care about them, we need to know what they want us to discuss in session. So, give them a point of contact so we can actually hear their ideas and concerns. Be accountable to your floors. I need four copies of proof that you have met with your floor over the semester whether that’s email, note pad, etc. I’ll check at the end of the semester. I’ll talk to people if you guys don’t.

Citizen Gowing: Commuters are hard to communicate with.

PPT Moyes: My recommendation is talk to us, so we know, and we’ll figure something out.

Committee Reports

Chairman Allen: Financial appropriations committee. Clubs need funding again, and as of now the deadline for club funding is 3 weeks from now and then we’ll pass a bill. We will meet this week to sort stuff out and send some emails. Also, our current funding is exactly what it was at the end of last semester, and we’ll get more in the next couple weeks as the number of students attending is finalized.

Chairman Crowder: Student life committee. Welcome back. Couple things – go week ice cream social will be happening and my committee and I will give more info when we have it. Ice cream and sustenance bill will come up soon.

Chairman Gonzalez: Public records and relations; We as a committee will be archiving all the data from the old website onto our new website and it will be a big undertaking. I am asking that if you’re interested and have time to help, reach out to our committee. We’ll be sorting the new website. Will you please pull up the legislation home page? Right now, archive legislation will go in archive. We also have a legislation template.

Special Business

VP Avent: One thing coming up soon is elections. Impact info event coming up soon so get that out to people who are interested in either one. In relation, we do not have the amendment for elections passed last year on the website. I gave it and we can work that out.

Old Business

Chairman Allen: Polos?

VP Avent: It has been referred to Senator Berry.

Senator Berry: I need to talk to the people who were previously responsible.

Chairman Drebot: GAGA ball pit updates? My floor is asking about it.

Senator Naranjo: We have run into issues with administration not wanting us to build it. We’re working on it.

Chairman Drebot: Have we passed funding? If so, how does that work?

Dr. Steve Conn: No one has talked to me. I’m not in it. What I understand is that no one can keep you from building it. The question is, where do you put things? What should facilities do if it is built? We need to identify a place to put a permanent structure. I don’t think anyone is trying to block it, but the attitude of you can’t stop us is not helpful.

Chairman Allen: I believe facilities was requested to build it and it would be portable, foldable so that it could be moved and set up anywhere. It would be built and stored at AO. Facilities checked with Kristy Morgan, and she asked that a hold be put on it.

VP Avent: There are some school politics, and it won’t be resolved now, but I think AO is heading up the discussion to move forward.

New Business:

Chairman Crowder: I motion to bring the Ice Cream Funding Bill of Spring 2022 to the floor.

PPT Moyes: Motion to bring to a vote.

Bill is approved.

Chairman Crowder: Motion to bring the Student Sustenance Act of Spring 2022 to the floor.

Chairman Allen: When will the first snack be available?

Chairman Crowder: As soon as student life committee gets funds, and we get the snacks. If you want to update your list from last year, I’ll send it out.

Senator Hofer: Motion to bring this bill to a vote.

Bill is approved.

Announcements:

Chairman Crowder: We have just received funding for the ice cream social and will get ice cream as soon as possible. No changes this week – it will be chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, assorted flavors. It rotates each week.

Chairman Drebot: Spring semester means elections. Tell people to run and vote.

Senator Bright: When is the impact meeting?

Dr. Steve Conn: Wednesday the 19^th. It is good for some of you to be there and represent senate. It is good for people to see that there is something going on. Also, remind people that the senate election process is separate from the impact selection process. Tell people on your floors that this is a good opportunity, especially for freshman, to get involved.

Chairman Allen: What time on Wednesday?

Steve Conn: 7 PM, and there will be snacks. It is in AFC Great Room. Info is in the communicator.

Open forum

Senator Berry: I recently got complaints about the Covid test to return to campus. A lot of people don’t read their student email, so they did not know in time to get a free test. This made some students mad.

VP Avent: According to the handbook, students should check either email once a day. It was sent out and there was a lot of information in the emails this week that was not in the original, but those who did not check, perhaps that is on them. I talked to the welcome back initiative and generally, their thing was that people are on both sides of the Covid argument and this is our compromise.

Dr. Steve Conn: It was hard to figure out what to do. We try to communicate early. We got feedback that we were not doing enough, or that we did too much. There was more info in the reminder than the original because we knew more things. Things changed closer to school. Three days before people came back, there were 800 students that had not submitted anything because they could not get tests, so we decided to do something to help.

VP Avent: Monday, I did alert everyone that there was a test shortage. Also, it seems this last year that something comes out to do something in 24-48 hours and there is a fine. That is not the nicest thing to have happen to you, but the school has situations that come up out of nowhere.

Dr. Steve Conn: I don’t think everyone did everything right. Some of the thing about the fine is we get people who refuse to do things, so we will fine people and they won’t go here anymore. People need to know policies mean something.

Senator Hofer: There was an email before we left last semester, so I sympathize not reading your email over break, but we were warned over a month in advance.

VP Avent: I know some students did not get it and it was not posted on the website. It was not known by those who sent it out.

Dr. Steve Conn: It was probably sent to every student who was registered and confirmed. I wonder if there were students who had a hold and technically were not students. I don’t know.

Senator Gonzalez: Could there be a receipt check to confirm students received the emails? Then it would aid the issue of those not receiving or reading the email.

Senator Drebot: I agree. It sounds like we are just complaining right now so maybe we can move forward.

Senator Bright: One issue mentioned was that if someone was in a place where they did not want to share vaccination statues. In the future, would it be possible to not require your vaccination status?

Citizen Place: Will there be contact tracing?

Dr. Steve Conn: You know it bro.

Senator Bright: If I am going to follow up about this, who do I contact?

VP Avent: I’m guessing the Welcome Back Initiative.

Dr. Steve Conn: It is a simple form issue thing.

Chairman Crowder: Maybe the info is sent to the city.

Senator Berry: Maybe we can send these emails to student and personal emails?

Dr. Steve Conn: All the time we need better communication. I have been thinking about things I would like to do, or other admin to do, to be seen listening. Maybe a town hall meeting, or a table where students can bring concerns. I think that would be a great thing to come from senate. I am inviting your brainstorming to me.

Citizen Foster: I remember a town hall was suggested last year.

Chairman Allen: Potentially we could put another channel on the discord for concerns you have been hearing. Or a channel on the buzz app so people can write out a list rather than discussion.

PPT Moyes: It is now 11:50 and people have class.

Citizen Gowing: If people don’t know what you do, that is as bad as a negative opinion.

Senator Bright: Motion to adjourn

Meeting Adjourned 11:53 AM